Google dependency

My internet connection is not great in Bali. I think now my internet bill is higher than my monthly rent! Partly because I moved to a cheaper place and now paying to have it in our office.

From time to time, Google.com stops working. They seem to have some serious problems with their proxy. The thing is that I just realized how dependent I have become on the big G.

Bing works fine as an alternative search engine, but that is only one thing I use Google for. I use gmail for my mail, both personal and business. I also store quite a bit of stuff in my gmail account.

I have been using Google docs more and more, as it is great to have your documents available anywhere and is ideal for group collaboration. Adsense and analytics are also important services for my websites. I also started getting back into using the blogger service.

Fortunately, I still like Bloglines to read news and blogs, even though Google reader might be better. I don’t want to be 100 per cent dependent on Google, but it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Utilizing free blogging websites

Wow, it’s already February 2010 and this is my first blog post. I even missed making a new year’s resolution to post on my blog every day!

I am settling now into a new house in Bali and just trying to avoid the stress of starting a new business in a foreign country. I love living here, but sometimes no matter how great your surroundings are, you still have to deal with the usual problems that you face living anywhere in the world.

Anway I am now trying to get back into the swing of internet marketing and updating all of my websites. I want to get back into doing some article writing, blogging and want to write a new ebook.

My lists are going strong, but I don’t have much to sell to people and hoping to change that.

One thing I have been thinking about more recently is trying to utilize free blogging sites more. Before if I came up with a new idea for a niche website, I went out and bought a new domain. Often that is all I ended up doing with the website. My new idea is to set up a new blog on a site like blogger and just write some posts there.

I really wonder if people care that much about whether there is useful information on a blogger blog or whether it is hosted on their own domain. I suspect most people visiting the site don’t care too much at all, as long as it provides the information they are looking for.

I am not saying I am getting rid of any sites, just if I come up with new ideas for niche websites. This blog started its life on blogger and the service has come a long way since then. Adsense can be added with a click of a button and there are thousands of gadgets you can add to your site to give it more functionality.

If you are new to internet marketing or someone who is experienced and looking for a different strategy, I think you could do worse than creating a niche blog on blogger and get links to it using Hubpages and Infobarrel.

Better late than never

I hate saying sorry for not updating my blog, but I honestly have been busy these past few weeks. My mum and auntie visited me here in Bali, so I didn’t have much time to get online. I also had to renew my visa for Bali in Malaysia the week before that.

I also now have a dog, who keeps demanding my attention. He is asleep now, so I can write this in peace! I am sure it would be the same if you have kids, except you can’t lock your kids outside if they are naughty!

I am starting a business in Bali. I have now rented a small shop and now in the process of registering a company. I will also then apply for a working visa, so everything will be legal and above board.

It is certainly challenging doing this in a foreign country, but everything is cheap here, so there is not a huge amount of risk if it doesn’t work out. I love working on the internet and the benefits that can bring, but it would also be nice to tell people here and at home I have my own business. Few people have any clue about the internet where I am living in Bali. When my neighbor saw me talking on Skype with a webcam, they just couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

I am trying now to get back into writing articles. I am pretty amazed how much Google loves Ezinearticles. An article I wrote to promote a website is now on page one, just below the site I was trying to promote.

I just started reading this fantastic blog and it just reinforces so much of what I am reading lately, on non-guru type blogs. Keyword research is everything, writing articles rocks and then it is just a matter of monetizing them and repeating the whole process.

Forget about leaving comments on blogs (except your favorite blogs) to get traffic and trying to get more twitter followers and concentrate on producing content. Eventually you will find what works for you.

Another reason why I haven’t been blogging, is that I am in the process of taking over some sites including a forum. The sale is still not complete which is bothering me a little and which is why I don’t want to talk about it too much.

Isn’t he cute?!

Should I create a website in a niche I am passionate about?

This is something I have been thinking about today. Most internet marketing blogs and teachers recommend people who are just starting out to blog or make a website on a topic they are interested in or are passionate about.

I suppose there are a few people who will get lucky and find a topic they are strongly interested in and it makes them a lot of money. Most people however will not be so lucky with their niches.

Some will make money with their niche and eventually their traffic and income will plateau. Or they will get bored with those sites.

Some people who don’t care whether they are passionate about the niche or not, just focus on keyword research, affiliate programs and SEO and they get their enjoyment from finding and profiting from these topics.

I don’t want to say either method is right or wrong. If you did start making sites on topics you were passionate about and your earnings have hit a plateau, it can be a good idea to get into niche blogs and websites to diversify your earnings.

I used to want to just focus on one profitable website, but now I realize it can be more fun and profitable by trying to run multiple sites. I also recently have been having fun writing articles on topics, that I didn’t think anyone would be interested in.

I am just rambling now, but I hope anyone reading this can realize that there is no single answer to making money online. If your site isn’t making much money, don’t give up on it. One solution might be to split your time between making websites on topics that you are passionate about, with sites that you don’t have much interest in, but have the potential to make a lot of money.

September goal recap

Wow, it is already the 3rd of October and I still haven’t managed to do a post recapping my goals from September.

Infobarrel goal – 50 articles – completed:50
Hubpages goal – 20 articles – completed: 1
Ezinearticles – 5 articles – completed: 1 (and it is still in review!)

As you can see, not a great result. I was concentrating mostly on Infobarrel this month. I started off really strong, doing more than one article in a day. I got a bit slack and then I thought I had written 50 articles, but it was actually only 40 and I have been trying to get to 50 over the past few days.

So how much money did I make from publishing 50 articles on Infobarrel? I made a total of $5 for September! It’s not going to make me rich obviously, but I did experience one of my best overall months with Adsense, so I have a feeling that it has helped lift my earnings. Also, I am writing on Infobarrel to get links to my own websites, so that has a positive effect also.

We sold a property through a website I recently set up, which is also going to make more money than Adsense. We are now planning on opening a shop to try and sell more properties and possibly do other business services.

I should try and get another 50 articles for October, but I think I will aim for 30 articles, which is just one a day and try to focus on my own websites and blogs.

Downsizing to village life

I have just rented and moved into a small house in Lovina, Bali. Lovina is in the north of Bali and is much quieter than the southern the areas of Kuta and Seminyak.

I visited Lovina on my first trip to Indonesia around 18 years ago. At that time it was a bustling little tourist resort. The area took a hit after the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings and while tourism to southern Bali has recovered, Lovina is still pretty quiet.

The beach isn’t so great with black sand, but the water is calm and fairly clean. Some hotels and restaurants have closed down and only central Lovina is popular with tourists.

Some people might see this as an area to avoid, but I have met several people who are optimistic about the area, especially with retirees rather than the party animals and surfers that prefer the south of Bali.

I am renting a small house just outside of central Lovina in a small village. It’s away from the beach, but set amongst banana and coconut trees. The house is owned by a westerner, so it has all of the modern conveniences. The nearby houses are very basic, sometimes with just a small room for sleeping and cooking is done with a fire outside. People raise chickens and pigs. We have to wake up early to visit the market. A big bag of vegetables and meat cost just US$2.

Our neighbors are extremely friendly and have been very helpful. You can get almost anything you need for a simple life. The nearest McDonalds and Starbucks in Kuta are more than 3 hours away.

Land is still very cheap, so if the area does continue to grow, I am sure you could make some good money by buying up land now.

We don’t have a telephone line, but fortunately can still get internet. The internet is a little expensive but works well enough. If you want more info on living in Bali, check out my free ebook.

Here are some pictures of our house:

Just started creating a list with Aweber

I don’t know why, but I have just got around to joining Aweber and creating my own email list. I will be adding it to this site soon, but I really wanted to get a list going on my new Bali Expat website.

I have written a free guide to living and making money in Bali and so far I have already had a few sign-ups, which is encouraging. I want to use it to produce a newsletter and eventually a paid product.

Aweber is very easy to set up on your site. You follow various wizards to get it set up. I even added the opt-in box on my Bali Expat fan page on facebook. You can see it by clicking on the “Free ebook” tab.

Aweber have good instructions on their website on how you can do this.

Resurfacing the blog

I have really let this blog go, and I think it is a bit of a shame. It was one of the first websites I started, and I have somehow kept it online. I have now rented a place to stay for the next six months and I just got the internet connected. It is a lot of fun traveling around trying to bits of work here and there, but many sites like this one suffer, as I work on my latest project.

I am sure there can still be a lot done with this blog, I just need a new bit of inspiration and motivation as to where I can take it next.

Being a ‘yes man’

I watched the movie “Yes Man” last night which stars Jim Carrey. It wasn’t a great movie and perhaps a little corny, but I think the idea in the movie is not a bad one.

Most people develop routines in their lives, which is a good way sometime to lead a stable life. What it leads to in many people is boredom and often a mid-life crisis. In the movie Jim Carey leads such a life until he attends a seminar where he then has to say yes to any offer that is presented to him.

He then meets a new girl, is promoted in his job, learns Korean, how to ride a motorbike and fly a plane. I know I have been invited to places and didn’t really want to go, but have accepted the invitation and wound up having the time of my life.

Why not try a day at least where you say “yes” to everything.

First free ebook – available now

I have just completed my first free ebook and it is available now for download.

Details and download links can be found here.

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